Portable foldable ironing board



June 26, 1951 p, LANTZ 2,558,141

PQRTABLE FOLDABLE IRONING BOARD Filed Jan. 2, 194'? 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 LHL N N m L i. m N 1 N N\ N m In a 2 $4 N m g cm ALPHA PERRY LANTZ June 26, 1951 A. P. LANTZ PORTABLE FOLDABLE IRONING BOARD 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Jan. 2, 1947 Qwvvwtm ALOHA PERRY LANTZ.

Patented June 26 1951 UNITED STATES PATE NT OF F K! E PORTABLE'FOLDABLE IRON-ING BOARD AlphaPerry Lantz, Washington, D.

Application January 2, 1947, Serial No. 719,799

Claims. 1

This invention relates to a portable foldabl'e ironin board and'has for its primary object the provision of such a board designed especially for ready carriage or transportation as a travel appurtenance, as in a suit case or as a thin nested ackage, occupying practical minimum space when not in use, but capable of unfolding and extension in complete board length or for use in 'an ironing operation.

To these ends, the preferred embodiment of the invention comprises foldable related outer and inner sections or panels formed of stainless or rustproof metals such as aluminum, or plastics, flanged around the margins thereof to impart .additional strength and rigidity, pivotall connected at their adjacent ends and having cooperative overlapping extensions to prevent folding movements of the sections under pressing operations, said overlapping extensions being relatively formed so that the upper faces thereof will present a, continuous and flat ironing or operatin face, the formation of the pivoting means being in the nature of pin and slot connections enabling the extending or contraction of said outer and inner sections of the board to engage or disengage the same and permit necessary adjustment of the said pin and slot connections.

Said embodiment of the invention also possesses a novel and improved construction of adjustable hook members adapted to engage behind the depending bridge piece, usually present at the top of a normal drawer opening, to attach the board to a convenient desk or article .of furniture, customarily present in hotels, apartments or the like, said hook members bein of special formation, in the shank portions thereof to insure the disposition of the board in a truly horizontal plane and against tilting or inclining, usually constituting a disadvantage in the use of a board the projecting or operating portion of which rests, and is supported, on the upper edge of the front of the drawer in withdrawn state.

Details and combinations of parts will be more definitely pointed out and understood from the specific-description hereinafter contained, when read in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein said preferred embodiment of the invention is illustrated.

In the drawings:

, Figure 1 is a top plan View of the ironing, board with the sections unfolded or as they appear in ironing position.

a Figure Zisa'bottom plan viewof the same.

Figure 3 is a central longitudinal sectiona view.

Figure 4 is a longitudinal sectional view on a line through one of the attaching hook members.

Figure 5 is an end view of the attaching end of the board looking toward the right from the left of Figure 4.

Figure 6 is a transverse sectional View approximately on the line 6-6 of Figure 3 looking to the left.

Figure '7 is a longitudinal sectional view similar to Figure 3, the sections of the board, in this Figure 7 being folded into nested positionas when not in use.

Figure 8 is a fragmentary end view similar .to Figure 5 with the hook members removed.

Figure 9 is a sectional fragmentary view of a piece of furniture with its drawer slightly withdrawn illustrative of the manner of supporting the ironing board thereon.

Referring more particularly to the drawings wherein the same reference numerals designate like parts in the several views 8 and 9 are the main sections of the foldable ironing board, together presenting a contour approximating that of the usual single piece ironing board, the sec tion 8 being the outer portion of the board and the section 9 the inner portion thereof, the outer section being pivotally related to the inner section 9 so that it may be folded under and nested with the section 9, as will appear'from additional description thereof.

The sections 8 and 9 are provided with depending reinforcing flanges I0 and I I along their sides and end flanges I2, I3 and It at their ends, the end flange M is provided with horizontal inwardly directed portions 3! providing rests adjacent to the sides of the board while the central part of the flange is doubled upon itself as clearly shown in FiguresZ, 3, 4 and 6. The flanges II], of the outer section 8, are extended rearwardly to a substantial extent as at I5 (Figure l) and fit against the reduced end portion I6 of the inner section 9 so that the exposed outer edges of the flanges Ill and I I are flush and devoid of projections or surfaces that might catch in the fabrics o what-not in a suitcase in which the folded board may be temporarily stored 'or placed when carrying the board from place-to-place.

Connecting the flanges Ill and II, of the sections 8 and 9 are headed pivots I7, fixed to be car-- ried by the flange extensions I6 and slidably associated with elongated slots I8 in the flanges II., through which the pivots I! pass, .thisfor'mation being such as to enable the sections '8 and ear the board to be pulled apart longitudinally or contracted to an overlapping relationship with each other, for which purpose the section 9 has a depressed seat 19 across the inner end thereof so that the corresponding extended end portion 20, of the section 8, may be seated therein to insure that the combined upper surfaces of the sections 8 and 9 are flush, and jointly present a continuous smooth ironing face fo the board when the sections are in unfolded or ironing state, and the pivots I! are at the inner ends of the slots l8. It is to be noted that the overlappingportions l9 and 20, of the meeting ends of the sections 8 and 9, will extend entirely across the sections transversely and for a substantial distance endwise of the board so that a strong, firm seating of the sections, are afforded in conjunction with the pivoting arrangement when the ironing board is properly extended for functional completeness or ironing operation.

The feature of the hinging of the sections 8 and 9, as above descibed, will not be claimed in this application inasmuch as it has been held that the same properly constitutes subject matter for a co-pending application Number 23,807, filed April 28, 1948.

Recalling that the ironing board, when extended and supported in use, is to be rested upon the upper 'edge of the front of a desk drawer or the like, partially withdrawn a suitable distance from the drawer opening of the desk and hooked behind the customary bridge piece above said drawer opening, the means for accomplishing these results will now be defined.

In Figure 9 the forward portion of a drawer is illustrated at A, the front end of the drawer at B and the bridge piece of the desk over the drawer opening at C. The ironing board is provided with a pair of hooks 2 i, one near each side edge of the structure, carried by elongated shank portions 22, having upturned inner ends 23 to which the hooks 2! are pivoted at 24, to be swung downwardly in their forward direction (Figure 4) parallel to and over the top of the ironing board section 9 for compactness and avoid needless projection when not in use; these hooks 2|, on the other hand, being manually swung to vertical position (Figures 3 and 9) and held in approximate alignment with the up-turned shank portion 23 by tail pieces or abutments 25 contacting the end faces of the portions 23 when the hooks are to be engaged behind the bridge piece C. It will be understood that the hooks 2! will be in the extended position indicated in Figure 9, when the device is applied and affixed to the drawer.

If the drawing has a ciose fitting drawer opening, that is, so that it will be heldagainst any downward tilting when withdrawn, and the top surface of its front portion B is in the same plane as the bottom surface of the bridge piece C, then it is practically impossible to avoid an upward tilt of the ironing board when in operative position, if the board itself is engaged beneath the bridge piece C or the shanks of its hook members are located above the plane of the bottom of the board, and of course, this upward tilt should be avoided and the ironing board throughout maintained in a true horizontal position, if possible. To this end the shank 22 of the hooks are formed with substantially depressed portions 26 to accommodate the bridge piece C and pass therebelow, with the hooks 2i behind the bridge piece, without inclining the ironing board when in operative position. In putting the board in operative position the whole structure is passed ass-8,141

through the opening afforded by the withdrawn drawer downwardly into the drawer, backwardly under the bridge piece C and upwardly to locate the hooks 2| behind said bridge piece when the structure will assume and maintain a truly horizontal positioning of the ironing board with the bottom surface of the board in true parallel relation with the flat upper surface of the front B of the withdrawn drawer.

To enable edjustment of the hooks 2|, relative to the flange l4, of the ironing board section 9 so that the bridge piece C may be received in the space between the hooks 2| and said end flange I l-meeting the conditions of the furniture and bridge piece thereof as encountered at the time of usethe shanks 22 are provided with elongated slots 21, receiving threaded studs 28 fixed to and depending from the ironing board section 9 and over which the slotted shanks 22 work in adjusting the position of the inner hooked ends of the shanks with reference to the end wall 14 of the ironing board section 9, the parts being held in any adjusted position limited only by th extent of the slotted shanks, by handled nuts 29 engaging the threaded studs 28.

The hooks 2| and their shanks 22 are, of course, of metal of substantial width and thickness to give the strength for the purpose, and the epressed portions 26 of the shanks are passed through horizontal slots 30 near the bottom edge of the end wall [4, where the metal of said wall is not doubled but is provided with forwardly turned horizontal flanges 31 over which the depressed portions 26 ride in their adjustment inwardly and outwardly through the slots 30. 32 are hooks passing through the section 9 of the board adapted to be raised sumciently to engage any suitable flexible covering or sheet on the board and 33 are corresponding hooks similarly loosely mounted in apertured portions of the inturned horizontal portions or extensions 34 of the side flanges II, and to which may be fastened the opposite end of said covering or sheet when passed around the board to protect or present a desirable ironing surface.

In the use of the board with furniture possessing highly polished or finished surfaces it is preferable that the portions thereof immediately contacting the drawer be protected against scratching or marring said surfaces, and to that end the said surfaces of the board may have light pads or coverings of rubber or the like set as at 35 in the area Where the board will rest on top of the drawer; and at 36 around the inner and exposed corners of the board.

31 is a similar thin sheet of padding material as rubber on the upper face of th depressed portion of the hook shanks to prevent marring the forward under corner of the bridge piece C in introducing the ironing board into the drawer and projecting the hooks behind said bridge piece. 38 is an iron seat of conventional contour pressed upwardly from the material of the sheet metal panel 9.

From the foregoing it will be apparent that the board and its attaching means, as pointed out, constitute a light, strong, easily folded or extended ironing board of great strength, being of metal substantially throughout, readily carried and manipulated, and of simple and inexpensive construction.

I claim:

1. An ironing board having means for supporting the same on the upper surface of the front of a drawer of furniture having a bridge piece over a drawer opening, the same comprising a board having depending reinforced flanges at its sides and ends, hooks carried by one of the end flanges of the board having shanks with depressed portions in approximately the plane of the lower edges of the sid reinforcing flanges of the board to project the hooks behind said bridge piece, the shanks also having elevated portions contacting the under surface of the top of the board, said elevated portions of the shanks being longitudinally slotted, and means for holding the hooks in adjusted position, comprising clamps including bolts secured to the back of the board, said bolts passing through the slots in the shanks.

2. An ironing board having means for supporting the same on the upper surface of the front of a drawer of furniture having a bridge piece over the drawer opening, the same comprising hook means carried by shanks adjustably connected to the board, said shanks having depressed portions in approximately the plane of the bottom of the board to project the hook means behind said bridge piece, said shanks also having end portions bent at right angle to and adjacent said depressed portions, said hook means comprising vertically positioned plates pivotally connected to the end portions of the shanks to swing toward the board whereby said plates may lie parallel with the board when not in use, and bolt means for holding said hooks in adjusted position.

3. An ironing board having means for supporting the same on the upper surface of the front of a drawer of furniture having a bridge piece over the drawer opening, the same comprising hook means carried by shanks adjustably connected to the board, said shanks having depressed portions in approximately the plane of the bottom of the board to project the hook means behind said bridge piece, said shanks also having end portions bent at right angle to and adjacent said depressed portions, said hook means comprising vertically positioned plates pivotally connected to the end portions of the shanks to swing toward the board whereby said plates may lie parallel with the board when not in use, said plates having downwardly directed extensions which engage the end portions of the shanks to prevent said plates from swinging in a direction away from said board when in use, and bolt means for holding said hooks in adjusted position.

4. An ironing board of the character described, comprising a sheet metal panel having a depending flange reinforcing one end of the board, said reinforcing flange being provided with inwardly directed horizontal extensions forming rests adjacent to the sides of the board and a central part wherein the metal of the flange is doubled back upon itself, said reinforcing flange being provided with guide openings in line with the rests, hooks for attaching said board to a support having shanks passing through the guide openings and engaging said rests, and clamping means for holding the hooks in adjusted position.

5. An ironing board of the character described, comprising a sheet metal panel having a depending flange reinforcing one end of the board, depending flanges reinforcing the side edges of the board, said end reinforcing flange being provided with inwardly directed horizontal extensions forming rests adjacent to the sides of the board and a central part wherein the metal of the flange is doubled back upon itself, said reinforcing flange being provided with guide openings in line with the rests, hooks for attaching said board to a support having shanks passing through the guide openings and engaging said rests, and clamping means for holding the hooks in adjusted position.

ALPHA PERRY LANTZ.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 932,354 Geyer Aug. 31, 1912 1,042,826 Schongold Oct. 29, 1912 1,067,833 Murphy July 22', 1913 1,266,993 Romans May 21, 1918 1,300,993 Miller Apr. 15, 1919 1,796,714 James Mar. 17, 1931 2,067,661 Ferrelle Jan. 12, 1937 2,098,157 Nurenberg Nov. 2, 1937 2,324,247 Ullman July 13, 1943 

